It’s not often I come across extremely well formulated skin brightening products, but when I do, I share them on here. The most recent product to pique my interest is the new HydroPeptide Skin Brightening Pigment Corrector. It sets itself apart by combining a unique set of skin brightening agents ranging from antioxidants, plant extracts, alpha hydroxy acids, and peptides, which not only treat hyperpigmentation individually, but synergistically as well. I always get excited when I see a skin brightening product combine multiple active ingredients that intercept various points of melanin creation – after all, it has been proven that combination therapy is more effective than monotherapy when it comes to treating pigmentation conditions.

The HydroPeptide LUMAPRO-C Skin Brightening Pigment Corrector is designed to minimize the appearance of all types of hyperpigmentation including age spots, sun damage, and pigmention resulting from acne and “pregancy mask”. The formulation which targets these types of hyperpigmentation includes the following:

Belides NP: Bellis Perennis (Daisy) Flower ExtractFunction: An extract from flowers of Bellis perennis that contains saponins, polyphenols and polysaccharides has been shown to decrease ET-1 protein production in the tyrosine pathway.

What I appreciate so much about the HydroPeptide LUMAPRO-C Skin Brightening Pigment Corrector is that its active ingredients such as Vitamin C, Oligopeptide-68, Resveratrol, Licorice Root Extract etc. inhibit the growth of future melanin production, while its exfoliating ingredients like lactic acid break up existing excess melanin. This is the answer to visible skin lightening! I love products with 2-in-1 combinations of brightening and exfoliating ingredients as they lead to more satisfying and intense results.

As with all skin brightening treatments, it’s vital to wear a SPF daily to protect the skin from further damage and to protect your results.

The HydroPeptide LUMAPRO-C Skin Brightening Pigment Corrector can be purchased online at the offficial HydroPeptide website. You can get a 20% off discount if you use the coupon code BBLUMA20.

Choosing the right treatment for your hyperpigmentation can be quite overwhelming. After all, there are so many types of treatments available; it’s only natural to not know which ones are best tailored for you. In this post, we’ll compare the various treatments and procedures out there so the decision process can be less difficult.

Early and Ongoing Skincare Routines Are Best

While there are plenty of professional cosmetic lasers and other clinical treatments that can repair your skin, it’s better to protect it in the first place as much as you can. Before settling on a skincare procedure, it’s vital to have a proper skincare routine set in place. A proper skincare routine should be continued during and after a treatment process to facilitate healing and enhance the results. Proper skincare includes sunscreen, moisturizers, and serums with skin repairing ingredients.

Ablative Laser Treatments Versus Other “Peel” Methods

Popular treatments such as microdermabrasion and chemical peels can effectively treat hyperpigmentation, but there are other methods out there as well. Certain types of lasers, known as ablative devices, can perform similar actions, destroying dead surface cells and removing existing deposited melanin. But the question is how do the three methods compare?

Microdermabrasion is perhaps the least difficult of the three options in terms of both treatment and recovery, but it is also the least effective. The results you get after a chemical peel will be much more pronounced, but the recovery time will be far slower. As for an ablative laser procedure, it often lies somewhere in the middle, though individual cases do vary. Some people have no problems at all with the procedure, while others shouldn’t even have it done in the first place. For instance, those with oily skin could have problems with the laser interacting with the skin oil and leaving blisters or burns.

Lasers and Other Methods Can Also Treat What You Can’t See

Of course, there are also non-ablative lasers out there. Those sorts of lasers treat the skin cells deep below the outer layer, where you can’t see. A single non-ablative treatment won’t yield immediate results like an ablative one would. However, a series of non-ablative treatments can improve collagen production inside your body, strengthening all of the skin cells in the treated area and eventually giving you skin that looks much healthier. They can also treat dermal hyperpigmentation (bluish to black hyperpigmentation) to an extent as well.

Bottom Line

If you are interested in getting a skin procedure done, the most important thing is to familiarize yourself with all of those options, what their uses and possible side effects are, and what sorts of results you can expect from them. Then you can sit down with your clinician and settle on the best option for your skin.

It’s been a long time since I’ve stumbled across a skin brightening product worthy of being blogged about, but thank God for Paula’s Choice, as their latest brightening product has rekindled my interest and inspired me once again. The product I’m referring to is the new RESIST Brightening Essence, which features an impressive blend of research-proven skin brightening ingredients that intercept multiple points of melanin creation – a pivotal feature of any worthwhile skin brightening product. This formulation contains an array of ingredients which have been shown to safely and effectively lighten hyperpigmentation and brighten overall skin tone. These active ingredients include:

Arbutin = naturally occurring glucoside of hydroquinone which inhibits tyrosinase and melanosome maturation. The concentrations of arbutin in this formulation and other OTC formulations do not carry the same risks as hydroquinone.

What isn’t there to love about retinoids? They are one of the few classes of skincare ingredients that address a multitude of skin concerns, ranging from acne to aging to hyperpigmentation. But, retinoids aren’t entirely perfect. In fact, they carry a major caveat: they can be extremely irritating and drying. The reason for this: retinoids impair skin barrier function by promoting trans-epidermal water loss (TEWL). This can be a serious problem, since it can exacerbate existing skin issues (i.e. hyperpigmentation, fine lines), as well as potentially create new ones such as irritant dermatitis.

Minimizing the adverse effects of retinoids can be achieved through multiple techniques. Two of the most popular ones are mixing and buffering, which serve to dilute retinoids (typically with bland moisturizers), which in turn reduce the intensity of their side effects.

In this post I will highlight the various benefits that come from using retinoids with niacinamide, as well as discuss how their combination not only reduces irritation, but leads to enhanced skin benefits.

Non-conflicting pH levels

When it comes to combining active ingredients – the pH level matters! In the case of retinoids, specifically retinoid precursors such as retinol and retinaldehyde, it’s important to know that they require a pH of 6 to 7 to optimally convert to tretinoin (a.k.a. retinoic acid – the active form used by the skin). Using lower pH ingredients can mess with this optimal range and diminish the effectiveness of the retinoid, so it’s best to combine ingredients with similar optimal pH ranges.

Fortunately, niacinamide is one ingredient that works perfectly with retinoids. Niacinamide has a more neutral optimal pH range (5 to 7), so using it in conjunction with retinoid precursors like retinol will not pull them out of their optimal pH range. No diminished effectiveness here!

You can use niacinamide with retinoids by mixing them together in the palms of your hands and applying it to your face, or by layering them directly onto your face, without fear of compromising the effectiveness of either ingredient.

These two ingredients can safely be combined together through buffering (with niacinamide applied first and retinoids after or vice versa – no waiting time required) or mixing (mixing both ingredients in the palm of your hand and applying to your skin).

Apart from reduced irritation, the combination of retinoids with niacinamide additionally leads to synergistic skin benefits. Particularly in regards to anti-aging and skin lightening. With the latter, benefits can be quite drastic, since both retinoids and niacinamide lighten skin to a degree. Retinoids lighten skin by removing melanin-filled keratinocytes in the upper layers of the skin, while niacinamide suppresses a key step in melanogenesis (the transfer of melanocytes to keratinocytes). Moreover, retinoids can enhance the penetration of niacinamide, which can increase its efficacy. All in all, using these ingredients concurrently can produce a synergy of skin lightening.

Bottom Line

Niacinamide can safely be used in conjunction with retinoids to reduce irritation and enhance anti-aging and skin lightening benefits.

Exfoliation is a crucial component of skin lightening that’s often undervalued by many. Its role is integral to any skin lightening regimen as it not only removes existing deposited melanin, but also enhances the efficacy of skin lightening products by increasing their penetration into the skin. Fortunately, there are several ways to adequately exfoliate skin, but, using alpha hydroxy acids is by far the most effective and beneficial option.

There are a variety of alpha hydroxy acids out there such as glycolic acid, lactic acid, citric acid, tartaric acid, malic acid and mandelic acid. The most widely incorporated alpha hydroxy acid in skincare today is glycolic acid, which is derived from sugar cane. It’s favorable due to its small molecular size, which permits deeper penetration into the skin. All alpha hydroxy acids, however, function similarly in that they induce the epidermis to remodel and accelerate desquamation of the outermost layer of the skin, helping to reveal fresher, smoother, and more evenly pigmented skin.

Regardless of their concentration, alpha hydroxy acids are invaluable because they are the only notable topical ingredients to discernibly diminish existing hyperpigmentation – an essential feat since existing deposited melanin is the hyperpigmentation that one sees. The majority of skin lightening ingredients in the market today lack this necessary function, and instead are more useful in suppressing the future production of melanin – another important component of skin lightening.

Although all alpha hydroxy acids benefit the skin, certain ones are more effective at skin lightening than others. In this post, I will highlight three of the most beneficial alpha hydroxy acids in terms of treating pigmentation concerns.

Glycolic Acid

As mentioned above, glycolic acid is the most favorable alpha hydroxy acid since its small molecular size allows it to penetrate the skin extremely well. Aside from this, it benefits the skin in multiple ways: Within OTC products, glycolic acid is formulated at relatively low concentrations and therefore can provide sufficient and consistent exfoliation of the outermost layer of the skin, helping to reveal smoother tone and texture and improve acne. Low concentrations of glycolic acid also remove deposited melanin within the upper layers of the skin which improves various forms of epidermal hyperpigmentation including epidermal melasma. Additionally, glycolic acid increases skin hydration by binding water to the skin, which mitigates dryness and excess skin irritation.

Bottom Line

Glycolic acid, lactic acid, and mandelic acid are three of the most effective alpha hydroxy acids at skin lightening. Glycolic acid and lactic acid offer the unique benefit of directly lightening the skin but can be irritating on sensitive skin types. Mandelic acid, on the other hand, is ideal for those with sensitive skin and can be incredibly beneficial to those struggling with reactive conditions such as melasma.

Paula’s Choice has recently come out with an exciting and very potent new niacinamide based product called the 10% Niacinamide Booster. This innovative formula is specifically designed to address enlarged pores as well as other signs of aging such as hyperpigmentation and uneven skin tone.

Niacinamide is a form of vitamin B3 which has been shown in several studies to perform the following functions on the skin:

Niacinamide truly is a magnificent multi-functional ingredient and it’s exciting to see it formulated at 10%! Those who respond well to niacinamide will undoubtedly be enticed by this new product! I know I am!

The Paula’s Choice Resist 10% Niacinamide Booster can be purchased at the official Paula’s Choice website. It’s currently out of stock, but will be available soon according to the website. It seems that demand is real high!